Losing His Grip Enraged Connors Storms Off Court

Jimmy Connors loves a good fight, and it doesn`t matter if it`s against opponents, fans or officials.

Friday afternoon at the Lipton International Players Championships, Connors fought the Battle of Boca West.

Connors took on Ivan Lendl, the world`s No. 1 player, and dueled him through five frantic sets.

Connors also challenged English umpire Jeremy Shales over close line calls.

He lost both the match and the debate.

Connors, who had transformed the second-year LIPC into his own personal adventure story with dramatic and exciting victories through five rounds, went out kicking and screaming -- defaulting 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, 2-6, 5-2 when he refused to continue playing.

The final storm began at 3-2, 30-love, with Lendl serving in the final set. Lendl hit a shot close to the baseline that was ruled good. Connors insisted the ball was long and went into a rage.

Connors asked Shales to overrule the call but Shales would not. Connors, who had been fighting with Shales throughout the match, got angrier.

``I`m not going to play under these conditions,`` Connors screamed.

Shales, under the Code of Conduct rules, gave Connors a warning for a time violation. When Connors continued to argue, Shales gave Lendl the point for 4-2, and he awarded Lendl the next game when Connors still refused to play.

Connors asked for Ken Farrar, the Men`s International Professional Tennis Council supervisor, and tournament referee Alan Mills and pleaded his case to them.

Farrar told Connors that Shales made a judgment call and there was nothing to do but play. Farrar told Shales to start the clock.

``You don`t want to go out like this,`` Farrar told Connors.

But Connors would not budge. When the 90 seconds for the changeover elipsed, Shales defaulted him.

Connors packed his bags and left the court with 8,887 fans cheering him and booing the officials.

``I had enough,`` said Connors, who was fined $5,000 for failure to complete a match and faces further fines and a possible 21-day to 1-year suspension. ``The guy in the chair wasn`t doing his job. I`m grinding my butt out there for three hours and 41 minutes and I get a call like that on a big point.

``How can the guy not pay attention. All I want the guy to do is pay attention. You can only take so much. I felt I had to stick up for my rights.``

Before he left, Connors apologized to tournament director Cliff Buchholz.

Lendl advances to Sunday`s final against Mats Wilander, who won his semifinal match when Stefan Edberg had to retire with a stomach injury at 6-4, 1-0. Lendl felt Connors should have resumed play but he also criticized Shales.

``A professional should not default on a bad call,`` said Lendl. ``When the umpire gave him 15 seconds to play, he should have gotten on the court in a hurry. I would have.``

But Lendl also blasted Shales, one of two full-time MIPTC chair umpires who has had his share of previous volatile situations with Lendl, Connors and John McEnroe.

``I have had problems with this umpire before and he lost control of this match early,`` Lendl said. ``He gave me a warning because I kicked a ball. Jimmy was bouncing his racket and making strong statements to the chair and he did nothing. He is not consistent. I don`t like Jeremy Shales doing my matches.``

Lendl understood the crowd`s reaction.

``It`s the same old unfortunate story,`` he said. ``Half the people come to see tennis and half the people come to see Connors or McEnroe fight with the crowd or the umpires. I can`t imagine McEnroe acting like this today and the crowd cheering him.

``I don`t think the crowd understood what was going on. The rules are complicated.``

In two LIPCs, Lendl has been involved in two bizarre incidents. Last year, chair umpire Luigi Brambilla walked off the court in the middle of Lendl`s first round match with Larry Stefanki. Brambilla got upset when the players ignored his calls. The match ended with the players calling their own lines.

``Last year, an umpire left and this year a player,`` said tournament chairman Butch Buchholz.

``It`s unfortunate to see a match end like that. Jimmy is very emotional but I don`t think he was right.

``Hopefully, we`ll learn something from this. Tennis has been criticized for not being tough. This might be a milestone. The players will learn that the rules apply for everyone.``